Sentient Item

Communication

Contents

Khazid'hea was a finely crafted longsword that could cut through flesh, bone, armor, and even rock. The edge of its blade glowed with a barely-perceptible line of red light. It was able to change its pommel to appeal to a prospective wielder.[2]

The sword itself was sentient, and could project its "thoughts" into the user's head and even affect his or her reasoning. On some occasions, users went into battle against impossible numbers without realizing it until their enemies lay dead before them. In the process, they often got hurt, but didn't notice.[3] Distance was the only true way to escape from Khazid'hea's influence, although if the wielder and sword had spent many years together, a kind of vague telepathic connection remained between them.[4][5]

Khazid'hea was always hungry for blood and battle, and it was never sated. Khazid'hea had one desire: to be held by the greatest warrior. It would even accept its wielders death in the pursuit of a better wielder.[1]

One version of Khazid'hea's creation indicated it was in fact a demonic intelligence that was forced into the form of a sword in the Abyss around the third millennium before Dalereckoning.[2] Another version claimed that faerzress emanations in the Underdark had given it sentience.[6]

Cutter was once one of the longswords wielded by Dantrag Baenre, the weapons master of House Baenre in Menzoberranzan. While it was carried by the Baenre weapons master, the sword's hilt appeared as a demon's head.[2]

When Drizzt Do'Urden led Catti-brie and Artemis Entreri from Menzoberranzan, Dantrag confronted them; Drizzt and the Baenre drow came to blows. Drizzt defeated Dantrag and thus acquired the sword. After Drizzt's victory, the sword changed its pommel into the head of a unicorn (the symbol of Mielikki, Drizzt's goddess). However, preferring his scimitars to the longsword, Drizzt gave Cutter to Catti-brie and, after she dominated the sword's will, it accepted her; adopting the form of the panther, Guenhwyvar, for its hilt, with the symbols of the dwarven gods etched into its side.[1]

During the conflict with Obould Many-Arrows, Catti-brie was wounded and unable to engage in combat. Khazid'hea became furious and ensnared Delly Curtie, Wulfgar's jealous and neglected wife. The power of the sword, too great for Delly to control, consumed her and soon led her to her death at the hands of a group of orcs. Though Cutter was wielded by several of the orcs for a while, it eventually found its way back into the hands of Drizzt Do'Urden, who used it during his fight with Obould.[7]

Drizzt lost the blade after it became stuck in Obould's armor. When he tore his armor off (to rid himself of enchanted spider buckles Kaer'lic Suun Wett had planted there, so he would die in battle), Obould took up Khazid'hea. However, he threw it away as soon as it shouted for him to wield it as his own; Obould believed it to be trickery on the part of Drizzt. Later, Khazid'hea was wielded by Tos'un Armgo, after he found it in the armor left behind by Obould Many-Arrows.[7]

Tos'un eventually realized that he did not have as much command over the weapon as he believed. Therefore, he returned the sword to Drizzt, who donated it to the elves of the Moonwood for study.[7]

However, Tos'un ended up with the sword once again and decided to pass it on to one of his two children in 1484 DR. His daughter, Doum'wielle Armgo, won the duel that decided who it was to go to; in anger and under the influence of the sword, her brother, Teirflin Armgo, attempted to kill her with Khazid'hea in the middle of the night. She turned the sword on him, killing him, then fled in horror and fear. The sword took her under its control. Tos'un eventually found her and traveled with her to the Underdark.[8][9][10]

When Tos'un and Doum'wielle returned to Menzoberranzan, Matron MotherQuenthel Baenre first gave Khazid'hea to Andzrel Baenre. When he failed to master the sword, she gave it back to Tos'un.[11] Doum'wielle ended up with the sword once again, but in 1485 DR she dropped it in a river.[12] Despite the distance, Khazid'hea was able to feel the death of Tos'un due to spending so much time at his hip.[4]